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Friday, May 11, 2012

It Could Be Political, It Usually Is

I also have a huge issue with the way Attachment Parenting is being portrayed in the many related articles put out by TIME...and the video of journalist Kate Pickert where she puts forth a very incorrect explanation of Attachment Parenting.
The Internet is buzzing with responses, arguments, agreeing, disagreeing...it's enough to drive anyone bonkers!

In my humble opinion, I think that it's no mistake or coincidence that:

This article was released right in the thick of a presidential campaign with such important {hot button} issues such as women's reproductive rights, healthcare issues and gay rights...

Attachment Parenting was portrayed as an extremist parenting approach, seemingly further marginalizing {and somewhat radicalizing} those who follow this parenting approach and further dividing the different "parenting camps".

TIME knew exactly what they were doing: adding fuel to the fire of the "Mommy Wars".

But why? And why now? {Also, WTH, just around the corner from it being Mother's Day!?}

Well first, this kind of sensationalism sells.

But it's got to be more than that.

Kate says it in her video: more and more parents are adopting the practices of Attachment Parenting.

Slowly but surely society's view on a lot of things is changing. Parenting included.

And perhaps that's the "problem": Change.

There's a lot of change going on and even more to come!

Parents who practice AP, typically also follow other practices that most definitely question conventional ways of doing things. And this questioning of the usual way of doing things results in "free-thinkers".

Think about it: if more and more people parented from an Attachment Parenting standpoint, there would be some major changes in how we do things. And this change would translate into a major social and corporate upheaval. Think: less formula-and-real-maternity-leaves kind of change.

Perhaps this article was written as a political move to make this parenting approach seem undesirable, weird and extreme. To make it out to be muddy water, trickling its way into the clear pools of conventional parenting. To mask the real underlying truth: that parents are becoming more and more informed, aware and are demanding change.

So, in an effort to quench this societal revolution, they pit parents, particularly Mothers against each other to keep them busy squabbling over breastfeeding, cosleeping, etc. To keep them distracted from the bigger, overarching issues and the surmounting movement that is propelling this change.

Well I say, let's not let political tactics fueling the "Mommy Wars" work. Let's not get distracted from out goal and lose momentum. Let's keep moving forward, onward and upward towards a better society. Let's respect each other, respect our children, respect our Earth and demand change for the better!

2 comments:

I've been surprised to see how big of a deal the cover turned into... Then I read the article today... Honestly, I never thought of myself as an "extreme parent" for breastfeeding my 3 year old. But apparently I am, and some sort of crazy free-thinking hippie. My husband said it perfectly... "When a baby cries, pick it up. It's called parenting, it doesn't need a special name."